Fate is Strange
by KalipsoRed
Summary: Portals between two worlds start to open and havoc ensues. Lives that were never meant to intertwine collide. Batman world meets X Men world. Variety of pairings through out. Main Characters: Oracle  Barbara, Batman, Nightwing, Hank, Jubilee, Logan, Remy
1. The Beginning

So here is my attempt to have my way with some of my favorite comic characters. I am a huge fan of X-men comics and I loved to watch Batman: The Animated Series when I was in high school. However my favorite characters are Jubilee and Batgirl which never seem to get the amount of attention that I desire. As far as I know Jubilee has dropped of the face of the Marvelverse which REALLY pisses me off because she is my all time favorite. I think I read that they did revive her in some comic series, but I've been flipping through the latest X comics and haven't found her. As far as Batgirl goes, DC has really done some interesting stuff and I'm TOTALLY excited about the Birds of Prey. I haven't been an avid collector though, so some of my history and time lines will totally be off as will some of my representations of characters. Let me know what I can improve. Some of my story will come from a fanfic I wrote called "Sweet Revenge" which is posted and it is gruesome and very detailed. So if you decide to look it up be fore warned.

Key: " " speech

' ' character thoughts

/ **intercom communication**

() telepathy

There was darkness all around. Encompassing every fiber of existence. Trapped in the oppressive night with nothing but the passing of time. An eternity to wait for the opportunity to unite what should be once more. A glimmer, a sliver of hope beamed through the oppressive night. He could sense a rift forming, an opening out of oblivion and all Dr. Strangefate had to do was reach out for it.

* * *

Barbara lay on the operating table surrounded by what you might call an "elite" team of surgeons. Brainiac 8 had to die, and one way or another she would make sure that the last strands of the virus living inside her would no longer harm anyone. Under the direction of Dr.Mid-Nite, Cyborg and Superman were using powerful lasers from a distance to cut out and destroy what was left in Barbara's body. In her unconscious state Barbara was fulfilling the last kind act she could for the sentient remains of Brainiac 8. She remained with the virus so it wouldn't be alone, and watched the destruction of the thing that once was invading her body. While looking out over the ruins she saw a burst of bright light form in the middle of the slowly collapsing remains. The light grew slightly, then dimmed and jetted off into the sky. Everything in her vision disappeared and she knew she was free from the grips of Brainiac. At that moment someone was checking Barbara's vital signs with a hand-held monitor. There was a quick flash of the viewing screen that went unnoticed and soon the person was back at the bedside.

* * *

Somewhere in New York a man is underneath one of the two most beautiful people he knew. Her soft body was taking him closer and closer to sweet oblivion. He could feel her velvet wetness tightening all around him and in just a few more strokes...he feels something in the back of his consciousness spark and then die. His hard on instantly deflates due to the interruption as he tries to concentrate on what caused it. "Axe, baby, what happened?" says the beauty above him. His eyes shift into focus as he stares into the depths of her loving eyes, "Sorry baby, it was just too much for a minute." She feels him growing inside her and she smiles then leans down to kiss him.

* * *

(This would be where you would have to have read my other story "Sweet Revenge") 

6 months later...

In another universe, a grinning, scorched and hairy man is running swiftly trough a forest. Away from the remains of burning building and with a large bear close behind. They both come to a halt when a swirling bright light flashes in front of them. The light quickly fades and what they see before them is astonishing. There is a dark alley in front of them. The dark harry man looks up at the sky behind him and sees two independent figures flying in his direction, he looks down at the bear, then back up at the alley. Cocking his head and shrugging his shoulders he says, "What the hell?"and jumps into the alley. The bear behind him squints his eyes and shakes his head then slowly passes over the thresh hold of the forest onto the concrete alley way before him. Suddenly the forest they were just in disappears.

"Guess were not in Kansas anymore, Cam." said a still grinning Sabertooth. The bear behind him started changing until a dark, muscular man formed behind Sabertooth. "That's alright. I love the smell of a new town." a slow smile spreading across his face. "Let's go see what sort of new trouble we can get into."

* * *

Barbara sat in her room staring at the ceiling with tears sliding down the sides of her face. She thought about what she had discovered and was wondering if she could ever deal with it. Dick, _her_ Dick, and Helena had been sleeping together. 

6 months ago when she had given him his ring back, she had done it in hopes that he would have the opportunity to find himself. She was also afraid that he was still in love with the memory of who she was when she was Batgirl and not what she had become. Although she could still do some major damage to someone if they tried to attack her, she was unable to help much with the dirty work on the streets in her wheelchair. She wanted to give him the opportunity to be with someone who could move freely and be able to stand beside him in battle, even though she truly hoped no one could fill his heart like she had.

He had promised to come back to her a whole person ready to commit completely to their relationship. She had assured him that she would wait for her best-friend and lover, she always had. Now what was she going to do?

She should have expected this, seen this coming. Dick runs when he is afraid, alone, or angry. She had just always expected him to run to _her_. But why is she such a fool? Did he run to her when he had his final fight with Batman as Robin? Did he run to her about his concerns of wedding Kory? Well he might have run to her on that occasion, but only to use her. Not to confide in her as the friend that she was. Now he ran to Helena because she turned him away so that he could find himself.

It was so funny; Bruce kept his emotions locked in a box and only brought them out to manipulate or, at the last moment, to attempt to save the tattered relationships he had, while Dick did just the opposite. Dick almost wore his emotions on his sleeve and he definitely _shared_ them freely.

She knew she had the largest part of Dick's heart, and he had all of hers from the moment she met him...times two. But where does that leave them? It had always been her role in the Batclan to be strong one emotionally. She was caring, tough, and second only to Alfred as a confidant. It was her job to hold everything together but she was just running out of strength. So much had happened in her life and so much had changed; she was the one who needed a shoulder now, but couldn't allow her self to lean on anyone because she was the strong one.

Thank god Dinah had shown up because without her forced support she would have crumbled. This she couldn't share with Dinah though. Dinah, however forgiving and kind, may not be able to let this indiscretion of Helena and Dick's go. Her Birds where her legs that set her free into world and she wouldn't endanger that gift for anything. Crushed as her heart was to lose her soulmate, she would let him fly. His choice lead him to be with someone who was whole, strong, gorgeous, and intelligent. She would fold herself into the many layers of her chair bound cyberverse and be content with what she had.

Barbara sighed and put the thick book she had just written all of her anguish in under the false bottom of her night stand drawer. Moving to her wheelchair, she rolled herself into the main room of the Birds of Prey clock tower head quarters. Wheeling herself up to her station she began working on the series of robberies that had been executed over the last two weeks. There had to be a connection somewhere, but so far she hadn't been able to make one. The robberies were inconsistent, there were no patterns as to what the robbers were taking, and all of the perps had been caught by the police. In each instance the accused perpetrator had claimed innocence of the crime even though they had been blatantly caught on tape and their fingerprints were everywhere. Some of them had air tight alibis and most of them hadn't had a criminal record before the instances. The only consistencies were that they seemed to be happening at two day intervals, between 11pm and 1am, when forced entry was used it appeared that the doors had just been ripped of its hinges, and in all of the cases short yellow hairs had been found. Sighing, she began reviewing the latest case in hopes that she would get a break.

* * *

Dinah and Helena were out shopping. Dinah was lost in her own little world when Helena came up behind her. "That dress isn't going to come off of you magically." Helena gave her friend an impatient look. Dinah shook her head and came back to the present. She eyed Helena with a bit of apprehension and then said, "Have you noticed that Babs has been kinda down in the dumps lately?" Helena looked at her friend. She had noticed that Barbara had been less willing to go out lately and that Barbara had barely looked her in the eye in the last three weeks. "No, I hadn't really noticed." Dinah sighed, "I think it might have something to do with Dick. She hasn't talked about him in three weeks and every time I ask her about him she avoids the question." Helena had picked a shirt off a rack near by and was giving it a once over. "Well you and I both know those two have a roller coaster relationship. Don't worry about it." Dinah walked back in the dressing room. "I guess your right. It just seems like it might be more than that this time." Helena's hand dropped as she stared at the door her friend had just closed. 'She knows. Barbara knows.'

"Aha! Gotcha!" Barbara exclaimed as she finished her analysis. Finally she had found a pattern in the heists and had a good idea where the next job would go down. She smiled at her detective work and started to form a plan to capture the crooks. Tomorrow night was going to be a show down. /Birds, I have a mission.../

* * *

Across town in a run down warehouse two men are taking inventory of the goods they made away with the night before. Sabertooth stands up and starts to pace. "I'm getting tired of this place. There's no action!" "How am I suppose to keep up my skills tearing off doors?! I want to rip through skin!" "Temper, temper." Came a deep voice still in the shadows. "With a few more resources we can begin to build a power base. You and I both know that were ever it is we are there does not seem to be any mutants. We are the only ones! We can take this world by storm and no one can stop us!"

"I got plenty of pow'r as it is Camouflage! I need some action!" , growled the ferocious man as he punched through a brick wall. Camouflage sighed, then picked up the paper he had gotten earlier that day. Looking at the front page he saw the head line about their latest job and then he noticed something else. Camouflage looked up and smiled at Sabertooth, "Well then maybe we can draw this person's attention to our next job? It might allow you to get some exercise." Sabertooth turned in his partners direction and looked at the picture of a man in a bat suit. He snatched the paper away. A growling laugh escaped him as he read the caption underneath. 'This'll be fun.'

* * *

The following night at the Birds of Prey headquarters the team gathered around Oracle's station to listen to the plan. Barbara was showing her team the layout of the building she thought was the next target when she noticed a small light on the corner of her screen.. She continued to talk about the mission then ended with, "Is there anything you would like to add, Batman?" The other three girls turned their heads in surprise to a shadowed corner of the room were two men were emerging from. "Didn't I tell you Batman, she's on top of it!" said a smiling Nightwing as he strode over to the woman he loved. However when he laid a peck on her cheek he felt her back away a bit. He stood up and tried to look into her eyes but she was avoiding contact. Things had been off with them lately. Dick, aka Nightwing, had been away for the last three weeks helping out some friends in New York. The few phone calls they had shared had been very strained and they ended up getting off the phone much sooner than usual. He was afraid of what was happening. What if she had found someone else? God, he wasn't sure he could handle that. Batman walked toward the screens. "Oracle, I don't think you know what you are getting into. Please let Nightwing and I handle it."

"What IS your problem?!" shouted a very exasperated Black Canary. Batman looked up at the golden haired beauty. "Is there EVER going to be a time that you will actually TRUST that we can do our job?!"

"No." said Nightwing and Oracle in unison. Nightwing and Oracle looked at each other for a moment with a small smile on their faces. Batman gave an annoyed glance towards Oracle, though few other people would have been able to read the emotion behind to look. "Very well. Then I will give you the information I have." Batman explained that he had gotten some of the yellow hairs from some of the previous crime scenes and had them analyzed. The DNA from the strands were nothing like anything he had ever come across before. It was human, but the structure had been mutated somehow. There was one other thing. The hairs had a distortion field around them. "Like a temporal field?" asked Oracle. Batman shook his head. "Something similar, but not quite." Oracle sighed. This information did complicate things a bit. "So now we have a criminal who can possibly jump trough time and is genetically capable of having some sort of powers."

"Which is why," said the deep and stern voice of Batman, "you should leave it to Nightwing and me."

"Which is why," said a scowling Oracle, "you're going to need all the help you can get." Batman glared down at her with his patented unnerving gaze. The one that he gave to criminals to get what he wanted out of them, but Barbara wasn't going to budge. She had proved, over the last few months, that she and her teammates could hold their own in Gotham and elsewhere. She wasn't about to show a loss of faith in them now. So with clenched fists and the most defiant tone she could muster Oracle said, "It's getting late. Don't we have a job to do?"

And with that Batman turned quickly on his heal and walked into the shadows. Nightwing squeezed Oracle's shoulder and quickly glanced at each member of her team ending with Huntress. With his eyes holding the Huntress' he said, "Be careful tonight." And then Nigthwing disappeared the same way Batman had. The Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk, and Huntress all stared after the duo for a moment. Huntress was the first to face Oracle once again. Their eyes locked for a short space of time and Helena could see the pain and hurt gleaming in them. Oracle quickly focused her eyes on her computers and said, "You guys had better get going if we are going to beat them to the punch."

"We won't fail you, Oracle." said the Huntress. Oracle and Huntress have always had a bit of a strained relationship. Helena just couldn't help but feel that she was always having to prove herself to Barbara. The short-lived romance between Dick and herself was just a way to fill the void, for both of them. They both understood that, but would Barbara? She had never meant to hurt Barbara, but with their relationship as it was she wasn't sure she would get the chance to explain. Little did Helena know how short the time between them actually was. Oracle gazed at her teammates and offered a small smile, when her eyes connected with Huntress' once more she said, "None of you ever have."

* * *

The multistory building stood firmly planted in the shadowed streets of the downtown business district. Not many civilians were in this area after 7pm, so with the exception of a few over driven employees, the streets were free of people. On the roof of an adjacent building stood Canary, Huntress, Nightwing, and Batman. A gruff stern voice came from the man standing apart from the other three. "My game, my rules. I'm going to check things out and _if _I need assistance I will let Nightwing know. Until then stay put." The Dark Knight shot off a line and flew into the shadow of the building across from them.

"Hmmph, He doesn't seriously think we're going to wait here, does he?" said Canary crossing her arms and pouting like a child.

"We aren't going to, but out of respect I usually let him have a head start." said Nightwing with a smile. Canary gave a sly grin in return then paced over to the edge closer to the building they were watching and squatted down on her heals to get a better view of the ground below. Huntress watched Canary walk away and looked at Nightwing. She turned off her communicator and motioned for him to do the same.

"She knows." Huntress said to the man before her. Nightwing turned his head to the side and looked at the beauty before him. "Who knows what?" The Huntress cocked and eye brown and a horrified look of realization came over Nightwing's face. "Oh God, that's why she's been acting ..." His hands balled into fist and through clenched teeth he demanded, "Why did you tell her?"

"I didn't, she found out on her own somehow." her voice the only thing betraying any emotion she was feeling about the situation. From behind them there was a sudden explosion. Nightwing and Huntress stared intently at each other for a fraction of a second then Nightwing commanded to his companions, "Move out."

* * *

"There, I hope that attracts the attention of your playmate. Have fun. I won't be shopping long." Purred a sexy short haired brunette as she walked through the door of the high tech business building. Just a few more expensive gadgets and Camouflage would have all the tools he needed.

Sabertooth watched his partner be enveloped in the shadows of the building and then was suddenly knocked off his feet by a dark figure. 'Let the good times roll.' He thought as he got up to stand well over his would be attacker. The man didn't look very taken back by Sabertooth's size or looks. The larger man grinned and toothy grin. "Did anyone tell you that it ain't Halloween yet?" Next thing he knew he got a square punch to the jaw, and a swift kick to the groin. Sabertooth roared and back handed the smaller man in to the brick wall six feet away.

* * *

"Wow, what the hell is that thing?" Canary said. /What's happening Canary? Switch to visual./ Canary touched the device on her ear and Oracle saw Batman falling to the ground and a huge beast standing over him. /Well don't just stand there. We are the back up you know./ Oracle said into the comm link. /Easy for you to say./ Canary sassed back. The three dived into action and all of them were able to make square hits. Sabertooth stumbled back and fell on the ground. "Didn't mention ya got friends." growled an angry Sabertooth. Batman was standing up and the four of them squared off for battle. Batman threw two batarangs toward the angry beast. "Heh, ya missed." said Sabertooth and shortly after a large letter from the building's sign dropped on him. Sabertooth grabbed a hold of the N that was laying on top of him and chunked it toward the two darkly dressed men. Batman and Nightwing ducked and the letter crashed against the wall behind them. Black Canary charged toward the over grown man and did a jump flip over his head and landed behind him. She threw her two hardest punches at his kidneys only to have the man turn and sweep his hand under both of her legs to hang her upside down. /Huntress there is a large fire extinguisher inside the door./ Helena grabbed the object and threw it at the distracted man's face. /That's not quite what I meant for you to do with it, but it'll work./ Came the sarcastic voice of Orcale in her ear. Huntress hit her target squarely. Sabertooth dropped his victim and staggered back. Batman threw Bat-bola which quickly entangled the man's legs causing him to fall to the ground.

The sexy brunette that had entered the building before the show began was watching the fight with great interest, especially when the dark-haired beauty had reached into the door way without looking and grabbed a hold of the extinguisher like she had known it was there.

Sabertooth easily ripped his way through the nylon cord around his feet and grabbed the ankle of the blond he had just dropped. Nightwing reached for his tranquilizer gun and shot off two darts which both landed squarely in the large man's chest. The large man laughed and pulled out the darts. "Ha! Ain't been shot with that kind of crap in years."growled Sabertooth. Then he roughly stood up and spun around then let go of the blond's ankle to send her flying into the purple masked heroine.

The brunette that had been in the door way was now a dog and listening very intently at the happenings outside. /Huntress, you've got to get out of there we can't take this one down tonight./ There it was; what his intent ears had been waiting on. Confirmation that there was a "silent" partner feeding information. It would probably be the same silent partner that had figured out where he and Sabertooth were going to be tonight. He had seen the three figures on the roof long before he had set of the bomb. Camouflage changed one more time into an animal that would be able to detect the frequency of where the communication is coming from. All he needed was for her to talk one more time so he would know what to listen for.

/We're not leaving. This guy is going down Oracle./ Huntress stood up and helped Canary get back on her feet. /We need to think of another way to take him down, he's to strong for us to deal with this way./ Oracle stated in a firm voice.

There. That was all he needed. Now to cause some trouble so this Oracle would keep on babbling. The reason they had come to this corporation was because of an ultrasonic gun that the company was building. It was to be used for drilling in mines and through mountain sides for roads. The CEO had announced on the news that it wouldn't be long before they could do some test runs. Well Camouflage was about to see how well it worked.

The female brunette version of Camouflage had took a step out into the alley were all the action was occurring. Aiming the gun at the wall opposite him he pulled the trigger and suddenly the ground was shaking and bricks started tumbling from the sky. Nightwing, trying to stand on the shaking ground, threw a wing-ding in the new assailant's direction, but just before it left his finger tips a brick falls on his arm sending the wing-ding into the wall near Camouflage. Soon the whole wall topples over and buries the heros under rubble. As the dust clears the sexy brunette walks out onto the street to face her partner.

"Didn't need yer help ta finish 'em, Cam." "No doubt, but, if you've had enough fun with your playmates, we have another problem that needs to be dealt with." Camouflage and Sabertooth had made it a few blocks away from their encounter when Camouflage lifted the seal of a man hole and dropped his stolen prize into it. "Must think it's a big problem if yer willin' ta leave yer toys lyin' around." said Sabertooth. "Yes, yes it could be a big problem if left undealt with. However, I think it is something that you will enjoy taking care of since it is feminine in nature." Camouflage morphed from the tall, sexy brunette into a short, petite, Asian with blue eyes. "And as you can remember it has been a while since we have dealt with something feminine."

* * *

/Batman! Nightwing! Canary! Huntress! Come in. Can you hear me?! Ambulances are on the way. Anyone! What's happening?/ Oracle, in a controlled panic, was dispatching the nearest medical and law enforcement teams to the area that she had lost contact with her team. She should have guessed what the thieves were after! Batman must have known and that was why he didn't want her team to help. Now her poor judgement could have gotten her friends killed. /Batman! Nightwing!.../

In her distress, the red headed beauty didn't notice the bat that landed on the clock face of her headquarters, but she did see the flashing red light at the bottom of the screen that alerted her to an intruder on the first floor. She stopped calling for her friends and immediately started viewing the cameras in the area. "Crap! How the hell..." Oracle began typing as fast as she could maneuvering all of the laser guns and other security measures that she had in place to deal with this new threat.

/Oracle/ said a gruff voice that was obviously in pain. Still typing as fast as she could she answered. /Batman! Is everyone alright/Black Canary is still out cold, but breathing. Everyone else has regained consciousness./Great because I need you to get back here ASAP!/ Oracle said in a voice that allowed some of her fear to show. /Lady Blackhawk is near by to get you and .../ A large hand of a dark muscular man covers her mouth but she instantly puts the person in a lock and grabs one of her escrima sticks. The comm link remains open therefore Batman, Nightwing, and Huntress hear the crashes and hits being taken and given by their team mate. Nightwing in a mild state of panic cries, "We have to get to her!" Zinda lands her chopper in the vacated street, though sirens can be heard in the distance. Batman picks up the Black Canary as the other to run and board the aircraft. Soon they are all headed toward the clock tower in the heart of Gotham.

* * *

Sabertooth had made his way through the traps up to the top level of the tower. To say the least he was an angry man. This chick definitely knew how to booby trap a building and for all the cuts and bruises he had he wanted give her something to remember him by. He smashed through the door to find a red headed chick lying in the middle of the room with a pair of sticks in her hand and his partner getting his butt kicked. She had already managed to break Camouflage's wrist and give him a nasty black eye. "It is about time you joined the party." Camouflage said in his partners direction. The red head eyed the large yellow haired man and started scooting herself toward the wall in the opposite direction. He noticed a wheelchair that had been knocked over in front of the computers. "Ya've had the crap beat out o' ya by a cripple?!" Sabertooth was grinning from ear to ear. "Let some one with skills show ya how its done, Cam." He moved toward Oracle at a slow pace then eventually tried to make a rush for her to pin down her arms. She saw his intent and moved coming back with her escrima stick hard on his cheek bone. There was a loud crack and an even louder growl as Sabertooth swept her up in one of his hands and threw her against the opposite wall knocking her out.

When Barbara came to she is pinned to a wall by a hand that is tightly wrapped around her troat and her hands are secured behind her back with computer cable. She sees the black man that she had done battle with earlier standing in the back ground with an eerie smile on his face. "Nice ta have ya back Red, let's see what sort of goodies ya got for Uncle Sabertooth." He tore her blouse off to find her ample bosom trapped in a pretty lace bra. "Umm, looks tasty." he growled as he roughly pull down one side of her bra and began to suck on the breast that fell forth. He scrapped his claws down her stomach causing lines of blood to form then he undid the button and zipper on her jeans. "I always like to take my time opening the better gifts." He growled into her ear as she felt his hand slip into her pants and him rub a finger between her labia. She shut her eyes against her assailant and felt a forgotten emptiness in the pit of her stomach. 'God, not again! Where is everybody?!' As though her prayers had been answered the light from the chopper shown through the clock face momentarily blinding the two criminals. Not long after four people came crashing in. Barbara sucks in her breath when she looks at Nightwing for his eyes hold the most deadly look she has ever seen. Sabertooth tightened his hold around her neck and soon everything went black.

When she wakes up this time, the criminals, and her friends were all outside on the ledges of the clock tower. "Let her go." Growled a young man in a black and blue outfit. She looked behind Nightwing to see the black man from earlier start to change. She stared at him in disbelief. The man grew taller, started to grow hair from everywhere, and suddenly she was staring at an exact copy of the monster that held her captive. It wasn't long before the copy of Sabertooth had knocked out both Batman and Canary and had jumped on to the chopper to give Lady Blackhawk hell. Nightwing and Huntress were totally focused on her captor and were using all means necessary to free her from the mad man, but when the other Sabertooth had jumped to the chopper Huntress had quickly chosen to go along for the ride. Zinda couldn't fly and deal with that thing. Nightwing was standing before her and Sabertooth had her by her troat and had hung her far out over the edge. Barbara was scared, more scared than she had been in her life. There was so little time for her to convey what needed to be said before she did what she was going to do. "Dick," she rasped in Nightwing's direction. Nightwing looked deep into her beautiful green eyes and knew what she was planning. She could see the panic, pain, and love in his eyes. Nightwing shook his head and continued to stare into her eyes. She had managed free her hands and the moment was coming. A tear rolled down her cheek and she rasped to him, "Live" then took her hand and gouged out one of Sabertooth's eyes. Instinctively he let go of Barbara's troat and she started to fall. She looked up to see Sabertooth stumble and grab Nightwing as he lunged forward to catch her. She saw the large unbalanced man throw her Dick back and heard a crash. The force of throwing Nightwing set the already unstable man over the edge of the building and she could see the monster following her to the street far below. She closed her eyes, prayed that Dick was alright, and awaited what was to come.


	2. Free Falling

Beast, Rouge, Wolverine, and Jubilee walk along the streets of Binghamton, New York. Jean had been working with Cerebro to find new mutants. However, as had been the case for quite sometime now, there were not many mutants to find. Ever since M Day all that Cerebro was good for was telling the team how much was being lost. Stories of people dying due to he loss of their powers and the few that were left were tortured by the "normal" society at large. 'The more things change the more they stay the same.' thought Jubilee.

She was board. This wasn't excatly the big city and there were a TON of things she could be doing right now. But no, Jean had thought it would be good for her psyche to get out and see some new sights. Red was driving her nuts about stress management, coping skills, and anger management. Why the hell couldn't Jean just be happy that she was letting people touch her again. It had been almost 8 months since "the shopping trip".

That's what she liked to call it because made it seem a little less of a big deal in her mind. She remembered waking up in the MedLab with Wolvie asleep in a chair next to her bed. Every movement she made caused extreme pain and when Wolvie woke up all she could do was stare at him. No words could come from her mouth. He had asked her how she was doing, but she couldn't answer. Hank had come over and asked if she needed anymore pain killers but all she could do was stare at her friend. When she didn't answer Wolverine gently laid a hand over her fingers. She immediately pulled her hand away and started heaving into the trash can beside her bed.

Wolvie, surprisingly, had and continues to be her rock through out this whole ordeal. She had half expected that when she quit puking and finally got the chance to sit up in her bed that Wolvie would be gone determined to make someone pay for her pain. However, when she sat back up Wolverine was waiting with a small cup of water which he placed on the bedside table for her to get on her own. She had just stared at him for a moment before reaching out to get a drink.

"Darlin', I ain't leavin'. I know ya need me and I know it's gonna be a long road fer ya, but I'll be here an' when the time is right will beat that sorry scum's ass together." She had just kept staring at him. "Whatever ya need Darlin' I'm here fer ya, an' so's everyone else."

It was almost two months after that day before she was able to speak again. It wasn't like her voice had been damaged or anything, she just couldn't speak. Jean said something about post-traumatic stress or some other psycho babble. Four months after "the shopping trip" she had taken Wolvie by the elbow and let him escort her out to the back porch for her birthday party. Thankfully Paige had planned a small party with no loud noises and no one was allowed to buy gift cards.

She had spent most of her time in her room listening to music or reading, and didn't have any real desire to be around anyone else. She preferred to be in the safety of her room or in the Danger Room working on her acrobatics. Eventually Jean and Professor X had forced her into being around the other occupants of the mansion at least once a week for an hour. It grew from there and now she could spend a couple of hours in the company of her family. Wolvie had always been there though, even when she wanted to be alone she knew he was watching.

She had changed her cloths from the bright and cheerful colors that they were before "the shopping trip" to the darkest and dullest she could find. She also wore clothes to cover every part of her body. Nothing was left exposed, even in the summer, except for her hands and face. She had started to let her hair grow and it was now just past her shoulders.

But all in all she thought she was doing well and she really didn't need Jean to be so pushy about "getting back to living." Now here she was stuck in some dull town looking for some space shift, rift, thing that Jean had been concerned that she _might_ have felt when using Cerebro. 'What a waste.' Jubilee thought as she stood there tapping her foot while Rogue and Beast had walked over to the clock tower across the street.

Jubilee was looking at the top of the clock tower when she saw the blue sky developed a black hole and something come careening out of it towards the pavement. "Beast!" Jubilee shouted in surprise as she pointed at the falling...the falling...body! 'Ohmygd, this trip might just turn out ta be interesting after all.' Jubilee thought as she ran towards her two companions who had caught the falling person.

* * *

Barbara was expecting the end to come soon, but just as she was sure she must be close the concrete the darkness that she had been falling in suddenly turned to day. Barbara's eyes snapped open even though she was still falling to her eventual death. 'Day?' Her confused mind reeled over the swift change in time.

Out of nowhere a flaming red head with a silver streak running through it, came up underneath her and caught her. She looked at the young woman then down at the ground below, they must have been at least a hundred feet in the air and they were just hovering! Hovering! " 's awright hon, I gatcha." Rouge said with her thick southern belle accent. " ya sure look like ya been put thro' a ringer."

Barbara couldn't speak and as they got to the ground the flying red head asked, "Ya able ta stand up honey?" Barbara shook her head then was finally able to mumble, "Cervical spine injury...can't walk." while trying to button her shirt back together. "Huh, well let's let Hank hava look at ya." Coming toward her was a large fury blue man. All Barbara could think about was her recent encounter with a large yellow furred man and her grip on the red head holding her became like a vice. " 's awright, Sugah. Hank wouldn't hurt a fly on yer head." said the southern belle. Barbara could see sparks at the edge of her vision and then nothing at all. "It is regrettable that I have such an effect on women." said Hank in his refined manner. "Whatcha got there, Rouge." Wolverine said while taking a sniff. Suddenly he let out a ferocious growl and popped his claws. "Sabertooth!"

* * *

Barbara awoke in a a clean bed and a hospital gown. Immediately she sat up which was regretful because it caused an extreme amount of pain in her abdomen. She took a peek under her gown and found that her scratches had been bandaged. Barbara looked around the sterile but somewhat comforting room, then laid her eyes upon the blue beast that she had seen earlier. He was over a lab table writing down something and whistling. "Who are you?" she demanded. "I, miss, am Dr. Hank McCoy and who might you be?" His voice was soft and comforting, kind of reminded her of Alfred a bit. She stared at the blue man for a moment. "My name is Barbara. Where am I?"

"Barbara, the foreigner, how ironic considering the predicament you are in." Stated Hank with an amused tone. "Excuse me?" Said Barbara, her stern voice returning. Hank cleared his throat and readdressed the red headed beauty in front of him. "Forgive me. The meaning of Barbara is foreigner and it just struck me as ironic that you are a foreigner to our facility. You are in the safe confines of Charles Xavier's Institute for the Gifted, Salem, New York."

'Salem, New York! _How_ did I get here?' Barbara sighed. 'Doesn't matter. I have to get back to Gotham, it's only a few of hours away.' "May I borrow a phone? I need to make a long distance call to Gotham." Barbara told the blue haired man. The Beat's brow crinkled at her request. "Of course my dear, and what country might Gotham be in?"

"What country? What country?! It's here in the United States! It's one of the largest cities in the U.S.!" Her voice had taken on a tone of frustration. She was tired of dealing with these people and she _needed_ to get home! "Oh my, it does seem we have a larger problem than I originally thought." Stated Beast in a concerned tone. "Barbara, there is no city in the U.S., at this current time, titled Gotham." Barbara stared at the blue man in utter shock and mumbled, "But...but...that's _impossible_."

The doors at the far end of the room opened with a small swishing sound, and in strode a tall, slender red-headed woman, but not the one who had kept her from falling, and a bald gentleman in a wheelchair. "Ah, Professor, Jean your arrival is not a moment to soon." Said Beast "Might I introduce our guest? This young lady calls herself, Barbara." The tall red head pushed the man in the wheelchair up to the side of her bed and he held out his hand. "Hello Barbara, my name is Charles Xavier and this young lady behind me is Jean Grey-Summers." Barbara took Mr. Xavier's hand and nodded up at the woman behind him. "We are here to help you. There is no need to be afraid."

"Actually I'm not so sure about that. One minute I am falling thought the night sky from a multistory building in my hometown of Gotham, and the next minute it is mid-day and I am caught by a flying woman! I know every person on earth with the ability to fly and I have never seen her before." She looked expectantly at the bald man before her. "Barbara, I do not understand your origins completely. Hank has run a few tests and has discovered a distortion field encompassing your body. We think you might be from a parallel time line, but it is only a guess. What I can tell you is that you are safe here and that the reason Rouge, the young lady that caught you, was able to fly is because she is a mutant as we all are in this institution." Xavier patiently explained. "Until recent events, I was able to look into a person's psyche and assist them with their troubles. My pupil, Jean, is quite capable of doing the same for you if you will allow it."

Barbara looked up at the woman behind Xavier. 'Mutants? They wanted to read her mind! She couldn't allow that due to the amount of information she knew. So many people's lives would be at stake if she allowed it. They could be lying about Gotham. Why do they call themselves mutants? Metahumans do not pass on the metagene, it is not familial.' She sighed looking up at the woman. "I'm not sure."

"I promise to only look at the most recent events in your life, nothing more than two or three days prior to now." Said Jean in a soft voice. Barbara's instincts said she could trust these people, but it was still alot to give up. The events that lead to her arrival in this place were quite extraordinary and it was imperative that she figure out a way to get home. At the very least they would know her identity and possibly Nightwing's, but she needed help to figure this out. Signing again she looked up and nodded her head. Jean told Barbara to close her eyes and then pressed her hands against her temples. Suddenly Barbara saw the events from the prior night, but as though she were watching instead of participating. She saw her self be dropped by Sabertooth, then the black man turn into Sabertooth, then her fighting the black man in her wheelchair. This sort of "mental rewind" continued until she was sitting at her station trying to solve the case about the recent robberies. Then the detailed memories faded and she felt calm wash over her. She woke up to see the gentle features of Jean's face looking at her with understanding and empathy. After a moment Jean spoke.

"Those two men you and your friends were fighting are called Sabertooth and Cameoflauge. We have been trying to locate them for almost 8 months now. They are extremely dangerous."

"You don't say." Barbara said sarcastically. Jean smiled a bit and continued. "I don't understand what has happened, but I believe that Gotham is a real place. However, Hank is correct in telling you that the city you long to return to does not exist here." Barbara looked at the woman and narrowed her eyes. "How is that _possible_?" The woman before her shook her head and said. "I am not sure, but we will figure it out together." Jean stood up and walked behind the Professor's wheelchair to grab the handles. The Professor smiled at Barbara and said. "You are not a prisoner here and may move about as you wish. Hank will bring you one of my extra wheelchairs shortly." Xavier nodded his head toward Barbara and then he and Jean walked out of the room. Barbara sighed, leaned back against her pillows, and thought about her friends.

* * *

"What do you _mean_, she's gone?" said Nightwing's rough tear filled voice.

"Exactly what I said, Nightwing. There is no body, no blood, and no hairs. There is no evidence at all. She's disappeared." Said the gruff and stern voice of Batman.

The group had reunited in the disheveled room that use to be Birds of Prey headquarters. During the fight Nightwing had been thrown into a wall, broke his clavicle, and passed out. Huntress had seen Sabertooth let go of Barbara while she was pinned under the shape shifting man in the chopper. She had gotten hold of her knife and stabbed the large yellow haired man in the side. He yelled and backed off enough for Huntress to yell, "Blackhawk! Get Oracle!" As Zinda turned the chopper in the direction of their friend, the shape shifter lunged toward Zinda and punched her head into the side of the chopper.

Huntress quickly got her feet under the stomach of the lunging man and thrust her feet as far as she could over her head causing the huge man to be thrown out the side door behind her. Huntress got up to find Zinda slumped in her captin's chair. She quickly shoved Zinda over so she could grab hold of the control and started maneuvering toward the opposite side of the building where Barbara had fallen. A abnormally large bird flew in front of the chopper windshield, then swiftly turned the corner of the clock towner building before she could. Helena searched the air and the ground below for Oracle but found no sight of her. She looked up into the night sky to see a bird with a large man in the grips of it's talons. She wanted to follow, but now was not the time. She had to find Barbara.

All to soon it was evident that Barbara was gone. Huntress and the rest of the beaten team had gone back to the headquarters to find what clues they could there. Nightwing had woken up in a sheer panic not long before Batman walked into the room. Dinah was crying openly and pacing. Zinda had found a bottle of Gin that Barbara must have stashed in the kitchenette.

Helena was sitting near Dick when Batman had made his announcement. Dick picked up a chunk of the computer equipment near him and threw it into the wall opposite himself. Dinah looked at the dent in the wall where the equipment hit and then faced Dick, wet tears still streaming out of her eyes. "That's enough!" Batman yelled to Nightwing.

Batman rushed up to Nightwing and grabbed both of the arm rests on either side of Dick. Batman's stormy blue eyes stared intensely into Nightwing's ice blue ones and in a rough, hoarce, and emotion filled voice the man said, "I said she's disappeared, _not_ dead, and we _will _find her!"


	3. Two Weeks and a Day

It had taken her all of 2 weeks and 1 day to figure out that the inhabitants were more than a mere bunch of exiles in hiding. The school was their front to the world and kept the inhabitants safe from persecution...mostly, but underneath the school was the buried secret of a group known as the X-men. That day of discovery would not be soon forgotten by the crimson haired heroine.

* * *

The Professor had been true to his word and Barbara had been allowed to roam the campus and surrounding grounds freely. Being who she is, she had spent quite a number of first few days in the library checking current maps, thumbing through history books, and watching the current news. It was amazing how much this world was like her own, but also how completely different it was. Especially all the information she had read about the mutant gene as the next evolutionary step for man kind. She could not deny her own awe at the capabilities some of the students she encountered and could easily understand the main stream public's fear. If she, with a photographic memory and a genius level intellect, felt insecure about her place in such a society, the average Joe would be shaking in his boots.

Resigned to her fate for the time being, Barbara went to the Professor and offered her expertise as a librarian to the school. The Professor was most delighted at the proposal and put her to work immediately. Barbara had taken to researching everything she could find about quantum physics and theories of time travel in hopes of finding a way home. During one particularly intense day of research Ororo, the white haired African, rushed in to library with a group of students.

"Hello Barbara, it is good to meet you. I am Ororo Monroe, a teacher here at the school." Smiled the elegant woman.

Barbara offered her hand and smiled politely. "Yes, I remember from the faculty information Charles gave me. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Unfortunate events have just been brought to my attention and I must go. Would you be able to watch my students for the remainder of this lecture hour?" Ororo asked in a calm but rapid manner.

"Of course! Please go, and I hope everything turns out alright." Barbara said with a look of concern.

Ororo gave a small nod. "As do I. Thank you." The she proceeded out the door in haste.

A few days later Scott Summers brought his students and dashed off, then Hank, then Charles, then Jean. It was very suspicious behavior and since she had taken to watching the news every night it didn't take long for her to connect certain current events and the absences of staff. That was when she decided that an investigation was in order.

* * *

Eventually she had to use her hacker skills to get to the bottom of things. Initially she had not wanted to go that route since these people had been so kind. She had attempted to lead some of the teachers into a discussion about their absences to no avail. Days passed and she had not been able to discover any secret passage ways; yet the strange staff absences continued to occur. With no options left she chose a quite Friday, two weeks and a day after her arrival, to do what she needed to do.

Some time in the wee hours of the morning, while it was still dark, she rolled herself down to the library computers. Wearing her hair up in a pony tail, a blue smurf T-shirt, and matching PJ bottoms, she started typing. Not even an hour later she was looking at some very interesting files on the occupants of her new residence. Two hours after accessing files she unknowingly tripped the Shi'ar security that was in place. Thirty seconds after that a stout, burly, and angry looking man threw open the doors to the library.

Barbara stared at the man in a minor state of surprise until the raging individual, Logan, her photographic memory recalled, came charging toward her. Wisely, she prepared for such an occasion by grabbing a mop from the cleaning closet. She squared off with her attacker just as he got to her chair. She swiftly pushed the broom stick down between her legs and gave it a sharp upward swing into the roaring man's groin. The shot did not deter the man for nearly as long as she had expected it to thus his palm contacted her face squarely. He then tore the broom from her hands and popped out his claws, bringing them up to the side of her face he growled. "How do I get to Sabertooth?!"

She glared into his blue eyes and showed no fear as he continued to growl. Shortly thereafter a group of familiar faces stood at the open doors. "Wolverine, back off." Said the tall amber haired male in the middle of the group.

"Not a chance Cyke. She knows somethin' and she's gonna spill it or else." Said Wolverine as he continued to snarl in Barbara's face.

"Wolverine we will take her to the conference room and discuss the matter there. Please allow Scott to escort our guest down below." Said Charles from the doorway. Wolverine snarled once more as he violently removed his hand from her wheelchair and face. Scott came behind her to grab the handles and push her towards the door.

"I can make my own way, thank you." Barbara said curtly to the man. Her pride hated being put in a position where someone had to help her move. "No, I don't think you can." Growled the tall man behind her.

* * *

She was wheeled to a wooden wall face that slid back to reveal an elevator. Not long after she was on the second sub basement level that she had seen in the true blueprints of the mansion and finally the group arrived in what she guessed was the mission room.

"Now, Miss Gordon, do you care to share with us why you hacked our computer systems?" Said the Professor in a stern voice.

A man that had longish brown hair and the reddest eyes she had ever seen was squeezing the top of one of the chairs until his knuckles turned white. He glared at her and whispered in a deadly tone, "Why don' you jus' tell us were de monster dat hurt de petite is an' we don' let you suffer to much, heh?"

Barbara stared at the devil eyed man with little clue as to what he was talking about. However, since Wolverine had mentioned Sabertooth she guessed that the man before her was talking about going to Gotham some how.

"I don't know how to get back home...yet. I hacked your computers because I knew you were keeping a secret and had a good suspicion as to what that secret was...I just needed some evidence." She said to the man in front of her.

The aggressive man that attacked her earlier was growling and she hurried with the next part of her explanation. "Look in my...world?...time?..." She sighed. "At home my friends and I disguise ourselves from the public at large to defend those who are not able to defend themselves. We try to stop the "bad guys" from whatever their plans maybe and bring them to justice." She looked around the room with hopes that someone was believing what she was saying. " Once you have learned to keep your alternate identity from others it is easier to spot those who might be doing the same thing...I just needed to know." She sighed. If they didn't believe that explanation she wasn't sure there was anything that she could say to make them understand.

"There is a way we can know what you are saying is true." Said the cold voice of Emma Frost.

Barbara cocked her eye brow at the woman before her. She had a good idea what the woman wanted to do, but she wasn't so sure she was willing to let her. Barbara glanced up at the sleep ruffled red-headed woman she had meet when she had first arrived. "If you want to know all of who I am, I am willing to let you see."

"No, I will do it or no one will." Said Emma and before anyone could argue she began to probe Barbara's mind. It didn't take the White Queen long to find that the woman was indeed a hero of sorts in her own world, but she wouldn't take any chances. She needed to find out as much as she could about this woman. Jubilee had been put through enough and if this woman, knowingly or not, was able to help the X-men get to Jubilee's abusers she was going to find it.

In the process the White Queen brought forth every bad thing that had ever happened to Barbara. Her abusive father, her parents' deaths, Dick leaving, Dick returning after she was shot to make love to her then invite her to his wedding, and finally the Joker and the loss of her legs. It was a slow and torturous reliving of the day the Joker came in and shot her then forced himself on her while she bled to death. Of having Harly sit on her face and force her to do things that she had never had the desire to do while the Joker penetrated both of her lower areas only pausing to take pictures of the event. She was screaming and fighting as much as she could as she grew weak from blood loss.

In the mission room the X-men saw the wheel chair bound beauty start to scream and throw herself from her wheelchair. Jean immediately closed her eyes and confronted the White Queen. Not long after Barbara awoke on the floor feeling as emotionally raw as she had the night that awful event had occurred. It took her a moment to realize where she was and what had transpired.

"Scott, please help our guest off the floor." Said the Professor in a concerned tone.

Scott began to make his way to the woman, but before he could touch her she whispered in a hollow rasp, "Don't. Touch. Me." Scott paused then immediately backed away. Barbara sat up and rightened her chair before pulling herself into it. She glared at the blonde woman and said, "There. You know." Barbara backed up and wheeled herself toward the door.

Jubilee had been standing, unnoticed, in the doorway for quite some time. Ever since Wolverine had said Sabertooth's name in Binghampton she had been weary of their new house guest. Sabertooth's name still sent a paralyzing shock deep in her chest and she intended to be ready the next time she saw him. The woman rolling her way had just been put through one of the toughest interrogations that she could think of, but Jubilee was going to let this woman know, in her own way, that she wasn't off the hook just yet. Jubilee was standing there with her arms crossed and one of Wolverine's patented "Watch your back." looks on her face when the woman looked her in the eye. The haunted look in that woman's gaze reminded her of the one Jubilee saw every morning when she looked in the mirror. Taken back by what she had seen, she let her bad ass demenor fall to the wayside and continued to stare in to Barbara's sea foam green eyes.

Barbara looked at the woman-child before her and saw a glimpse of what the child had been put through by the man they called Sabertooth. She gave a curt nod to the youth before rolling past her towards the elevator, leaving Jubilee to stare after her.

* * *

Barbara awoke the next morning with a huge headache. Honestly she hadn't been able to sleep much due to the fact she was having nightmares about the old wounds that the White Queen had torn wide open with the prior nights inquisition. She dressed herself in blue jeans and a blue top with quarter sleeves and headed to the MedLab in hopes of finding some relief.

While in the MedLab she ran across the furry blue gentleman, Hank. He greeted her with a gentle smile and asked, "Dear Barbara, what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you again?"

She smiled at the gentle man. It amazed her so how looks could be so deceiving. "Hello Hank, I have quite a headache and was wondering where to find some Tylenol."

Hank looked down at Barbara with concern and in an apologetic whisper, "Yes, after your ordeal last night I would expect that you would." With a guilty sigh he continued. "I do apologize for Ms. Frost's behavior, she did go further than necessary to retrieve the needed information. I am also sorry that we were not able to be more honest with you about our alternate lives, as I expect you know, it can be very risky for us to tell the truth."

She smiled gratefully at Hank for the apology. "Yes, I do know how risky it can be if the wrong person knows the kinds of secrets lives like ours tend to keep. I cannot blame any one for investigating my actions as long as everyone can understand why I had to do what I did." She gazed into the man's blue eyes hopefully.

"Of course, and I am sure that the Professor will want to make a more formal apology. For now lets see what we can do for your headache." Hank grinned shyly and made a small bow gesturing towards one of the empty beds. "Please, after you."


	4. NATE

"Fall back! They are trying to surround us!" Storm shouted through her comm link to the rest of her team. A recent upset in New York revealed the resurgence of Gene Nation led by a new unknown mutant. A group consisting of Storm, Wolverine, Iceman, Husk, and Gambit traveled to the scene of the most recent terrorist attack. Once there they found a lead on the new group and were trying to track them down in the sub terrain tunnels under New York. However, the Nation had been prepared for such an invasion of their home and now the heros found themselves shrinking closer and closer to one another with no hope of exiting.

* * *

kkkcccuhhhsshhh "...ack!" sshhhhhffffff "...to surround..." kkkkkuuuussshhh. "Damn!" Jubilee said punching the arm rest of the chair in the control center out of frustration.

When the attack had occurred, half of the X members were already in a conference over seas promoting peaceful human/mutant relations. They were suppose to be coming back as soon as possible, but the half of the team that had remained decided to take action as soon as possible. Jubilee had begged to go but Storm refused.

"Why not! I have my powers back, I can be part of the team again!" Jubilee had shouted at the goddess before her.

"I feel that it is to soon after...for you to be out in the field, and as team leader that is my decision to make." Storm stared sternly into the younger woman's eyes. "You will stay here and monitor the situation from the control room. It will also be your responsibility to update the others once they arrive. Is that clear?"

Jubilee glared at the older woman.

Storm continued her steady gaze back. Wolverine, who had witnessed the confrontation, said in a warning tone to the petite Asian. "Darlin'..."

Jubilee narrowed her eyes as she turned toward her mentor and growled, "Fine."

Now Jubilee had wished that she had stowed herself away on the plane and not even asked.

Her adopted family was _really_ getting on her nerves. A little shy of two months from now she would be reaching the one year anniversary of "the shopping trip." No doubt that the event had taken its toll on her soul and left her feeling ashamed and outcaste among her family. She knew they had all seen the video of what had been done to her.

Their behavior was pure torture, they treated her like a delicate flower and were hardly able to looked her in the eye. While, she had to admit, it was difficult for her to be around many of them to begin with, she felt their actions kept her away from them just as much as she had pushed them away.

Her family had hardly discussed missions with her or allowed her to train since "the shopping trip". Jean and Chuck were still constantly forcing her into counseling sessions, not really aware that their form of help was only causing her to remember something she wished to forget. She knew her family was dealing with the situation the best they could and trying to help her, but they didn't understand that she what she needed most was to be able to live her life like she had before Sabertooth. She just needed one chance to prove to them and herself that she could fight and win, something to help her gain back some of the confidence she had lost when her powers were gone and Sabertooth had taken advantage of her weakness.

Her family needed her now and she couldn't do anything but watch which left her feeling so helpless! She _hated_ feeling helpless and it was time she stopped, but what could she do to help?

* * *

Barbara was in the family room curled up reading one of the giant stack of books that she had brought from the library. Many of the students were still gone on winter vacation and half of the X-men had gone over seas. It was grand to have the peace and quite envelop her so she could concentrate on reading.

In the weeks following her discovery, those who had witnessed her break in trust had not shown her much hospitality. Hank, The Professor, and Jean had been the most considerate and understanding. Hank being at the top of the list because he seemed to harbor no animosity or distrust after she explained that she was some what of a detective at home. He seemed to genuinely understand her innate curiosity about the mysterious behavior of her house mates and the need she had to discover the truth. Maybe it was because Hank was something of a detective himself, being a scientist and all. However, her deed had left the others quite shaken and unwilling associate with her. To the point that the instructors no longer came to the library to drop off their students, which left her with little work to do in the library.

Out of boredom she started spending more time in Hank's lab than anywhere else on the grounds and the two had developed a comfortable friendship. They did not actually talk that much, but spent hours listening to good music while he worked and she straitened his files. Hank was so impressed by her organizational skills that he then allowed her to tackle his computer records. Of course, being a world class hacker that she was, Hank's computers were soon in the best running shape that they had been in since Forge had installed the devices. Barbara was quite impressed by the system, it was like nothing she had ever seen. While she did get Hank to purchase a few new parts to update it, she was amazed at how advanced the system was for being four years old.

"This is amazing!" She had exclaimed looking at the innards of his systems for testing DNA.

Hank looked up from his one of his experiments and smiled in her direction. "Well I am sure Forge would appreciate your complements. Should he come visit in the future I would be most delighted to introduce you."

She looked up at the stout muscular fur ball and smiled brightly. "Thanks, Hank."

Hank went back to his experiment and Barbara continued to fondle the complicated mass of machines. An hour later and, onto another computer system, she looked at the steely mass before her baffled. "Hank, What is this system for?"

Hank, off in his own world humming and conducting the 812 Overture in between recording data on his current experiment, had not hear Barbara's question. Barbara looked at the fuzzy man with a smile and shook her head, then a little louder said, "Hank...HAnk..." she sighed, "HANK!"

The man's head shot up in her direction. She smiled at him laughter showing in her eyes. The man smiled back and said a bit sheepishly. "Oh dear, I am quite sorry. I do get rather caught up in my endeavors at times. What can I help you with?"

"It's alright Hank, I was just curious about what this system is for." The sun kissed red head said gesturing toward the machine.

"Ah, I see you have found NATE." Hank said as he moved beside her.

"Who?" She said with a cocked eyebrow.

"NATE, well actually it should be NATES. I could never come up with a clever acronym for it." Hank said with a distant smile. " It stands for nerve and tissue endorsement system. It uses nanite technology to attempt to repair damaged nerves and tissues. I attempted to use it on the Professor several times to no avail and I have never been able to figure out why."

Barbara sat in silence for a short time. 'So this machine was meant to repair nerves and tissue.'

Hank looked down at the wheelchair bound woman and could almost see the cranks in her mind working.

Barbara looked back up into the gentleman's powder blue eyes with hope and said timidly. "Do you think it might work on 4 year old gun shot wound to the spine?"

Something was tugging on the man's heart. He would be most excited to try his long forgotten treatment on this young woman, but he could not bear to let her down. The treatment had not worked on the Professor as it should have and he was not sure that he could bear to see the disappointment in this woman's eyes if no improvement came from the experiment.

Barbara watched Hank sit heavy into a chair in front of her and fold his hand neatly in his lap. "Barbara I..." Hank started as he lifted his head to look at her. She had an idea as to what he was going to say so she leaned forward and wrapped one of her small hands around his large soft one. "Hank I know better than to expect anything. It's been four years and thousands of treatments later without improvement, but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try it." She watched the man before her patiently hoping for his approval. He squeezed her hand and gave her a nod.

A month after that conversation, and much to Barbara's delight, she was sitting on one of the crisp linen beds in the MedLab for a nanite "check up."

"Physicians once believed that once a nerve was damaged it did not grow back and that is why they couldn't be repaired." Hank lectured in an unusually excited tone. "However, the truth is that nerves do grow back but very slowly and without the axon tunnel for them to grow through, they generally grow in the wrong direction thus not reconnecting with the original nerve ending." He smiled at her with excited eyes.

"So what you're saying is that these little guys are not only acting as an electrical cord for my impulses to travel down, they are forming a tunnel for my nerves to grow back the way they should." Barbara said studiously smiling at his giddiness.

"Exactly. Now why don't we try to walk to your chair?" Barbara took the furry blue hand he had held out for me and stood. Then Barbara felt a second soft, strong hand on her opposite hip. Barbara's chair was a good ten steps away and she made about four before her legs buckled. She felt the strong furry man pull her to him then reach down and sweep her off her feet.

"Sorry, Barbara, in my excitement I tried to push you to hard." She looked up in to Hank's beautiful eyes and felt something stir.

"You just wanted to be my night in shining armor. " She had continued to smile at him then said, "You know my friends call me Babs."

That memory was just a few days old, but it still made her blush. Hank was such a gentleman, not really something she was very accustomed to. It was nice to have someone to lean on instead of being the rock all the time. She shook her head out of her reprieve only to see a petite Asian running toward her with a panicked look on her face.

"Jubilee?" Barbara looked at the girl with concern. "What's the matter?"

"I ain't got time to explain, but you gotta help me!" The teenager practically yelled as she practically lifted Barbara off the couch, threw her into her wheelchair, and raced the older woman towards the secret entrance to the sub basement levels. "Hank says you're a wiz with computers, have ya ever tried hacking?"

Gripping the arms of her wheelchair in fear of the swift pace of her driver she nodded her head.

"Good 'cause I gotta job fer ya!" Jubilee continue to dash trough the lower levels of the X mansion.


	5. Flying High

Barbara's hands were swiftly moving over the keyboards and controls in the misson room. "Where are they again?" As the soft fuzz and static from the open comm links from the team continued to pour out of the speakers.

"They went to track down the new Gene Nation." Jubilee said.

There was a pause and Barbara realized that Jubilee felt her one sentence explanation was all that was needed. "Keep talking Jubilee, I don't understand who these people are."

Jubilee gave herself a mental slap on the forehead. 'Duh, Jubes, she's not from around here.' "The old Gene Nation was a terriost group that was taking revenge for a numerous amount of mutants that had been massacared. Their goal was to kill as many humans as mutants that were lost during the massacare."

"So how do they usually pull off these attacks?" Barbara asked.

"Well they use a net work of tunnels under New York to..." Barbara's head snapped up and she intrupted. "So they're underground?"

Jubilee nodded. Well that explained why none of her normal signal boosting techniques were working. Barbara quickly typed new commands into the computer hacking into New York City public works and NASA satelites. It wasn't long after that when the static coming trough the speakers was replaced by the sounds of fighting.

/Gambit's unconcious, Storm! I'm defending him best ah can, but ya'll better think o' somthin' soon!/ Jubilee had just finished talking to the team flying back from over seas, but bolted strait up hearing Husk's report. /Child, hold on a bit longer Wolverine and I shall try to permeate this wall./

Barbara's fingers were continuing to fly over the key board and as the signal's strengh began to become clearer she was able to pin poin the excat location of the team. She looked at the schematics that she had "borrowed" from the public works department of New York and noticed that one of the tunnels opposite the tunnel the team was in was full of water. /Storm face the biforcation of the tunnel and bust through the wall to the right then head left for 150 feet and the tunnel will open to the bay./

/Who is this?!/ Storm demanded while sending hail into the wall. /You don't have time for questions, just do what I said./ Barbara huffed into the comm link then glanced over to Jubilee. "How long will it be before the other team gets back?"

"Long enough that they won't be able to extract Storm's team." Jubilee scowled and slammed her palm into the wall. She then paused and turned on her heal toward the door leading to the hanger. "I'm going to get them."

Barbara stopped in the middle of her typing and raised an eye brow at the young lady leaving the room. "You can fly a jet?"

Jubilee looked sideways towards Barbara with a determined look on her face. "Once with some help. But I'm _not_ going to sit here any longer!" Barbara's lips quirked upward on one side. 'In over her head and still jumping in with both feet. I wonder if she somehow shares some of the same genetic make up as Dinah?'

"Well then quit standing there in your teenage rebellion mode and get to work." Barbara ordered the girl out the door. Jubilee faintly grinned back at the red head while she ran out the door and when Barbara heard the roar of the engine she had a full on smile.

/Gamma bird X, flying high and preparing for rendevous with Alpha team./ Barbara snorted at the teen's wordy greeting. /Don't get cocky Jubilee, auto pilot works fine until something bad happens./

Jubilee frowned at the speaker. 'Humph, how did she know I used the auto pilot? This was totally cooler when I believed she thought I was flying this thing on my own.'

Shortly after Jubilee was hovering next to the storm drain exit with the hatch down awaiting her friends. Husk and Iceman were making a dead run for the craft. Wolverine was not far behind them carring Gambit over his shoulder and Storm was trying to slow the mob behind them with a wind storm.

Iceman and Husk leaped on to the craft and moments later Wolverine was about to make his jump with Storm hovering above him. In mid arch all three disappeared. Husk and Iceman stared in disbelief at the vacant place their friends once were. Jubilee yelled out, "NO!" and ran from her pilot seat to the opening in the hatch. Bobby grabbed her waist and held her back from jumping off the jet. "Get us outta here!" Bobby yelled to the still stunned Husk. It didn't take Paige long to spring into action and soon they were flying back toward the mansion.


	6. Deja Vu

_Sorry It's been so long since I've updated. Midterms and stuff taking up to much time. Hopefully I'll have time to write longer up dates soon. P.S. Thanks for the comments and suggestions! All suggestions are great so don't stop. Thanks for the one about Jubes and Wolvie going to the DC comic world, I'd forgotten about that comic:)_

Storm flew over Wolverine as he dragged Gambit to shore. She looked at the storm drain she just had flown out of to see no signs of the violent mob that she had just been fighting, not to mention the back up jet had vanished out of thin air. 'What has happened?' The goddess looked at the sky line of the city before her not finding any of the architecture familiar. Not knowing where they had arrived, the regal woman thought it prudent to quit displaying her mutant abilities as to for go any unwanted attention. She landed softly next to Wolverine who was crouching over Gambit. Storm lowered herself to Wolverine's level on the opposite side of Gambit to take a closer look at her friend.

"Gambit" Strom said softly to her friend and the second time a little louder showing her concern. "Remy"

"Hell Ro you ain't gonna wake him like that." Wolverine grumbled. Next Wolverine began to firmly tap the man's cheek with the palm of his hand then the other cheek with the back of the same hand. "Cajun, get up! Ya lazy good fer nothin' pansy! Figures ya'd be the one ta need beauty sleep in th' middle of a crisis."

"Wolverine I do not believe this is..." As Storm was about to admonish her team mate for his unorthodox methods Gambit began to mumble and his eyes started to flutter open. It wasn't long before Gambit bolted to a seated position looking around for the Morlock mob he had be fighting against before he lost consciousness. "Where de bad guys be?" Remy asked after he realized they were safe.

"I am unsure of what has happened, but we do need to be cautious." Storm said. "It would be best if we left this place as soon as possible and find more suitable clothes to camouflage our presence."

Taking in a better view of his surroundings, he turned his head slowly towards the city behind him. The Cajun asked, "Dis don' look like New York, Padnant. How did we get 'ere?"

Wolverine had cautiously sniffed the area assuring himself that what he saw was true. This city was not the one they were under just a few minutes ago, but he did have a feeling of de ja vu. Gambit had stood next to his two companions and then with a sly smile held out the crook of his arm to both. "We should link arms an' skip to de yello' brick road, no?"

Wolverine growled at Gambit before he stomped off toward the city.

Gambit let one arm fall to the side as he turned towards his other companion. "Chere?"

Storm looked at the offered arm and back up at the man. The corners of her mouth barely turned up but her eyes showed her amusement. "Why not?" The white haired beauty rest her arm in his and the both followed after Wolverine.


	7. Comfort I

'Four months. I can't believe that it has been four months.' Dick Grayson sat on the edge of his bed peeling off his sweaty costume. 'God I miss her.'

His lithe body free of the kevlar and spandex, Dick made his way to the shower/bath combo that promised to free him of all the grime he had picked up on his patrol. Leaning his head against the outdated tile he let the steaming water pour over him and mix with the silent tears fell from his haunted eyes. 'Why couldn't I find a way to reach her? Why couldn't we ever get things right? I know she loved me, why did she always push me away?' Dick started to lather himself with bar soap. 'Probably would have helped if I hadn't kept breaking her heart...but I was always in it for the long hall with you, Babs. Most of all those girls were just to occupy my time until you came to your senses. Well except for Kory, but even with her I had some doubts. Obviously you knew that on the account of how I invited you to the wedding. I wish I had one more chance...one more moment to tell you...'

Helena, clad in a towel, pulled back the shower curtain that Dick was behind. From the first glance at his blue eyes she could tell what he was thinking about. 'What am I doing here?'

In the weeks following Barbara's disappearance she and Dick had once again found 'comfort' in each other's arms. Dinah had soon caught the pair comforting each other and had not spoken to either of them since. Evil, long forgotten and newly born, started to creep its way back into the domains the Birds of Prey had worked so hard to free. The good guys had lost an edge they had over the toxic community that reeked havoc on the population at large.

Huntress and Nightwing had returned to Buldhaven to confront the backlash of Oracle's absence. Batman and Robin were so overwhelmed with the growing violence in Gotham that they had not been able to continue spending all their energy investigating Oracle's disappearance. They had been able to locate Sabertooth and Camouflage, but were unable to capture them. However, the confrontation did confirm that Barbara was not their captive.

Helena sighed and lowered her head as she pulled the curtain shut. 'I don't need this today. Why can't I ever find the right man at the right time.' As the Italian woman turned to exit the bathroom she felt a wet hand on her shoulder.

"Don't go." A rough whisper floated to her ear. Helena turned to look at the man behind her and sighed.

"We can't keep doing this." The man before her dropped his hand and bowed his head. "I know."

Tears came to her eyes seeing him in so much pain, but what about her? He was in love with a memory, a woman that had held his heart almost his entire life. How long could she continue to let herself be used as a replacement?

Her voice rough and choked by the tears she was trying to with hold she said, "I miss her too and I know I will never be able to fully appreciate how much you lost, but if I will never have a place in your heart then please let me know now. I can't be a substitute any longer."

Dick trailed his hand up her neck, cupped her cheek and stared into her ice blue eyes. "I am not sure I can love anyone as much as I did Babs, but that doesn't mean I don't love you."

Helena grabbed Dick's wrist as the pent up tears flowed out of her eyes. He placed his other hand under her chin and lifted her mouth to meet his lips. The kiss was tender, soft, and warm as a summer day. His hand on her cheek trailed down her chest until it came to the top of the towel surrounding her body. With one quick tug the cloth quickly untangled itself from her bosom. He let his knuckles trail between her breast, down her stomach, and finally uncurl and cup her hip.

She stopped kissing him for a moment to look at his face. His eyes were closed and a familiar look had settled on his features. She knew who he was thinking about. It took him a moment to realize that she had stopped kissing. Upon opening his eyes he met one of the most heart breaking looks he had ever witnessed. Wrapping both his arms around her he pulled her into the warm shower and with a sigh said, "You're right. I don't want to hurt you any more."

They stood in the shower for a long moment. His arms wrapped around her, her cheek resting on his chest while he rested his cheek on top of her head. He felt her silent sobs tremble through her body as he held her and his own tears fell from his nose onto her raven hair.

After a while Helena mumbled into Dick's chest, "Can you...?" Then she took in a deep breath and let it out trying to settle herself after the escape of emotion. "Just for tonight can it be me who your making love to?" She felt his strong arms squeeze her tighter to him and the nod that he gave while still resting his head on top of hers. Then he cupped her face and lifter her gaze to his, "Yes." He closed his mouth around hers once more and she relished the feeling knowing that this would be that time she would share his bed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	8. Comfort II

Pow! Crunch! And an angry gang member falls to the ground unconscious. Another man is felt coming from behind as third takes the place of their fallen comrade. Six more men approach, three on either side. Movement takes place behind and she evades the attack. Grasping the metal rod that was swung at her, she pushes down sending the rod into the angry man's stomach causing him to double over. She brings his face down and her elbow up to meet his nose. CRUNCH! The man falls to the ground unconscious. Two of the men start to attack her from the side and she moves to throw the bigger one into the smaller one.

A shadowed figure watches the woman tear into the growing mob. He had been watching her for the last few weeks. She was on a mission, but it was unknown if it was a suicidal one or not. She had been victorious thus far, using her rage and anguish to fuel her endeavors, though he did not believe that she would remain unscathed much longer.

She scrapes her foot down one man's shin, stomps on his foot, and grabs the back of his neck pulling his face into her knee. One man jumps on her back and wraps his arm around her throat. She grabs his forearm and throws him from her back to the ground in front of her. Finishing by twisting the arm he was using to choke her until it breaks. Two of the remaining men come rushing at her while the others hang back, but midway to their target the men slide to a stop and run the opposite direction.

She hears the soft swoosh of a cape and turns to glare at her savior. "Leave me alone." She says in an icy voice, then makes her way to her bike. She hears the shot fired from his grapple line and a few seconds later a strong hand wraps around her waist lifting her toward the roof tops. Shortly thereafter she is dropped, unceremoniously, onto the hard cement high above the streets.

"Stop now." His stern and sterile voice reverberated from his masked face.

Her eyes lit up with the cold fire that had been burning inside her for months now. "Go to hell." She spat.

His eyes narrowed at her defiance he rushed her and she easily avoided the attack. However his true aim was her arm, which he got a hold of and wrenched behind her as he pushed her chest up against the roof access wall. "You are out of control."

"You're a liar." She grunts as she pushes back enough to get her feet on the wall. Then runs up the wall and flips over his head. She then grabs one of his shoulders and sweeps a foot from underneath him. He rolls out of the fall and faces the fishnet clad woman before him.

She throws a kick to his chest which he easily grabs and twists causing her to land face down on the concrete. He follows up by trapping her legs and laying on top of her with his arm wrapped around her throat. He made no further movement to choke her and it took her a moment to realize that he was wanting her to continue with her last statement. "You stopped looking for her." Canary said in an accusing tone. "But I won't, no matter what you do to me."

"She would not want me to let the city fall into a state of pandemonium, Canary. I know that." His stern voice softening a bit as he whispered his response into her ear. At the same time he lifted some of his weight off of his hostage. She quickly grabbed the arm he had around her throat and twisted so that Batman fell to her side. She maintained a grip on his arm as her leg rapped around the back of his head and flipped the large man onto his face. Continuing the move by pinning one of his hands behind his back and the other with her leg as she straddled his back.

"She is NOT dead! Why is everyone giving up on her?! I thought you cared!" Canary yelled as she wrenched his arm even tighter. Then she growled in a low tone. "Guess you find it easier to lie since you have a mask to hide behind."

She felt his body become ridged underneath her, then he rapidly freed his harm by slipping it out of his glove. Batman rolled causing Canary to fall beside him and then he was quickly on top of her pinning her with is legs and her arms by her head. Canary imagined his glare behind the blank white slits in his mask. She wasn't about to back down though.

Batman shifted Canary's hands so that both of them were firmly held in his large gloved hand. He then used his ungloved hand and removed his mask. Canary was caught off guard and gasped at the shadowed man's actions. Bruce used his ungloved hand to cup Canary's face so that she was looking him strait in the eye. Then in a low and graveled whisper she heard, "I have not and will not ever quit looking for Barbara, Dinah. But I cannot let all the work she did, that she helped me do, fall to shambles. Please help me."

Bruce felt the warm liquid slide down his hand and the vibration of her trembling body in his legs as she began to cry softly. He continued to stare into her eyes as he let his grip on her hands fall. She slowly maneuvered her self in a kneeling position before him; her tear streaked face glowing in the moonlight. She could, for a moment, see the sorrow and pain in his eyes and it was not long before she threw herself upon him in a fierce hug.


	9. Mayday, mayday, mayday

_7-26-08 - - So I've hit a bit of a writer's block...unfortunatly nothing has inspired me much to pull this story along. I think it is my lack of knowledge of Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate. So I have to go do some research.:) Anyway, I promise to finish this story so don't give up on me.:)_

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Jubilee yelled.

"Not until you give me a complete run down of what happened, Jubilee." Scott said harshly as he leaned over the young Asian, trapping her in her chair with his hands on the arm rests.

The teenager crossed her arms over her chest, jutted out her chin, and glowered at the leader of the X-men.

"Come on Cyke, we told ya what happened." Bobby said with a muted laugh to try to lighten the situation as Husk shrunk further into the seat next to him.

Cyclops barely turned his head toward Iceman with a look on his face that told Bobby he had better stand down or he was going to be in the line of fire.

Returning his attention to Jubilee he questioned her further, "I want to hear the part of the story where _I_ gave you the order to take the jet to New York?!"

Knock, Knock, Knock

Scott and Jubilee persist to glare at each other while Husk and Iceman shifted glances from the angered pair to the door in trepidation.

Outside the heavy mahogany door was a slightly agitated Barbara.

* * *

The Alpha team had arrived in the hanger moments after the jet had gotten back from New York. Jubilee was on her knees in the place she had fallen when Bobby had finally let go of her waist. Tough bruised and battered, Paige and Bobby were trying to comfort the young woman as best they could. As the Alpha team unloaded from the Blackbird, Xaiver wheeled over to the huddled group of youngsters.

"What has happened?" Xavier said quietly.

"We lost Gambit, Wolverine, and Storm, sir." Said Paige.

Xavier quirked an eyebrow and the threesome. Emma soon approached and said sternly, "They mean that Gambit, Wolverine, and Storm have disappeared, they are not dead." Xavier's face showed his understanding and relief.

At that time Barbara had come rolling into the hanger toward the group. "Are you guys alright? Jubilee?"

The blond and busty woman that stood between Barbara and the three on the ground, turned to look at the red head below her. "I don't see any reason you need to be here."

Barbara looked up at the cold woman with squinted eyes, re-angled her chair, and rolled around the White Queen. Leaning forward in her chair to cup the blue-eyed girl's chin, she whispered, "We'll find them." Staring a little longer into the young girl's face before giving a curt nod and rolling out of the hanger.

Beast and Barbara locked eyes for a moment before she disappeared down the hall. He came out of his short reprieve when Scott started to demand an explanation as to why Jubilee had not waited for the Alpha team to arrive.

"Scott, Paige and Bobby are certainly in need of medical attention. Jubilee may also need some assistance. Explanations can wait until Hank checks them out." Xavier said in a calm voice. Scott's shoulders relaxed a bit and then nodded in agreement. "As soon as you three are done come to my office." Scott stated calmly before walking out of the hanger.

As the others left, Beast made his way over to the three and crouched down. "Is everyone capable of ambulating to the medical laboratory?" Beast questioned. Bobby gave a lopsided grin, "We aren't hurt that bad, just needed some time to come up with a good story before we see Cyke." Bobby nudged Jubilee, "Right, Jubes." Even though a tear was sliding down her cheek she gave a small grin at her friend before sucking in a lung full of air and letting it out swiftly. Standing up she grabbed both of her friends' hands and helped them on their feet. The three made their way to the exit and Paige put an arm around Jubilee's waist, which caused her to flinch slightly, but Paige did not pull it away. "Barbara is right, well find 'em, Jubilee."

* * *

'Control freak.' thought Barbara as she continued to bang on the hardwood door outside Scott Summer's office. Giving a mental sigh, 'I guess I really have no room to talk.'

The office door swung open and a tall well built man stood over her and growled, "You need to leave."

Barbara's eyes narrowed in a very Batman like gesture as she pushed on her arm rests to stand and meet her aggressor at eye level.

"This is none of your business!" Scott said in a more aggressive tone.

Barbara stepped into Cyclops' personal space to the point that their bodies were touching and her mouth was very close to his ear. "I am the one you are angry with, pick on me if you must pick on someone."

Cyclops turned swiftly toward the three youngsters to find that Jubilee had slipped away in the time that he had been distracted by Barbara. "Get out." he growled at the other two and they scurried away slamming the door behind them.

Turning his attention back to the redhead before him he said, " You are not apart of us. Your actions thus far have only lead me to distrust you. Yes, it appears that you saved part of Storm's team from a bad situation, but it is also just as likely that you put them in that position to begin with. Maybe you are the one who creates these dimensional holes to kidnap your victims. Know that I am watching you and regardless of what the Professor says, I don't trust you."

"Fair enough." Barbra said in a flat tone, then turned and walked out the door to her chair. She shut the door firmly behind her before she collapsed into her chair. While she could walk steadily now, her muscles were still very weak from years of disuse.

* * *

'Damn Cyke!' Jubilee fumed as she shoved her belongings into an old knapsack. 'I'll never get to look for Wolvie if I stick around here.' A knock on her door startled her and she quickly stuffed the bag and the rest of the things she was going to pack under her bed.

"What!" Jubilee said in a raised voice as she opened the door. To her surprise, her guest was not someone she would have expected to come to visit.

"Geez, I free you from General Patton and this is the way I get thanked? Reminder to self, Jubilee enjoys torture." Barbara smarted off as she rolled into the room.

"Look, I don't mean ta be rude, but I'd rather be by myself right now. So if ya don't mind?" Jubilee said as she continued to hold the door open.

Barbara had given the room a good once over before she addressed the young Asian. "I need your help, Jubilee." The petite girl looked at the older woman for a minute before closing her door and returning to her bed. "Yeah? I'm listenin'."

"I haven't walked in four years, Jubilee." Sighed the older woman. "Ya were just walkin' a minute ago in Cyke's office." Said Jubilee.

Barbara smiled a little and went on. "I don't know how much others have told you about me…" "They ain't told me nuthin'. They don't anymore." Jubilee interrupted.

"Well in that case I hope you can trust me enough to believe what I am about to say." Barbara continued while looking into the younger woman's blue eyes. "I think your friends were pulled into another dimension, a world very similar to this one but with some key differences. I think they were pulled into the world I came from. It seems, for some reason, time and space are colliding and pulling together, not only our worlds, but others as well. This might explain why Gene Nation as resurged when your teammates thought the threat had long been eliminated. The threat really was eliminated in your world, but in a paralleling universe they survived."

Jubilee put her finger tips to the sides of her head and started rubbing in slow circles. "I hate it when these things get so complicated!" Looking at the red head next to her, "So what do ya need me for?"

"Well besides Hank I don't really have a lot of people around here that are willing to give me the time of day. Hank is often busy in the lab and I need someone to help me learn to fight again." Barbara stated simply.

Jubilee raised and eyebrow at Barbara, "Again?" Barbara nodded, "In my world, even without mutants, there are those who are powerful enough to reek havoc on the people around them. My friends and I do everything in our power to keep them from destroying the places we call home. Until I was…until my injury occurred I fought along side them. After my injury I had to find other ways to help and that is how I got into computers."

Jubilee nodded. "Yeah, I use to fight along side my family, heck I even lead a my own team at one time, but now …." Barbara sat beside the young Asian for a moment before she patted the girl's hand and started rolling to the door.

"Uh, Barbara?" Jubilee said and the red head turned to look over her shoulder with a raised brow. "Thanks." Barbara nodded her head and said, "My friends all me Babs, and if you decide to stick around I don't think you'll regret it. We will find them." With that she rolled out the door leaving a mildly stunned Jubilee staring after her.


	10. Hot Tops

_Thanks so much for the reviews so far. I'm glad ya'll are so excited to know what happens...I am too.:) Thanks to CaptMacKenzie for pointing out my spelling error...must have been funny the first time you read it.:) I promise to fix it soon. I appriciate all the ideas that people have been bouncing around, can't promise I'll write them in, but some of them I might. Try not to get to excited about how things will wrap up. This is only the second story I've ever written, I'm not so sure I can pull off something clever enough to reach everyone's expectations. Anyway, thanks again!_

He had to admit that things were coming along nicely.

Brainiac's death had been his rebirth. The awing analytical mind infused with his own bewildering supernatural talents had to be enough to save his beloved universe. This artificial realm created to confine him and his universe was slowly spiraling toward the end of existence. Dr. Strangefate stared out toward the dying sun from his tower. 'The biverse has no more right to it's existence that those of this universe.'

* * *

'Something is wrong, but I don't know where it's coming from.' Axel Asher, also known as Access, guardian of the gateway between universes, had left his favorite place in the universe to come to his favorite place in the universe. 'My life is so weird.' Ming was preparing a wonderful dumpling dinner. God, he loved that woman, of course he had also lost his heart to Xing Li in the other universe. He had never really thought of himself as a polygamist, some things occurred out of necessity. He was finally starting to get a hand of how long he could stay in each world with out screwing things up.

However, the issues that had been popping up lately didn't bode well for his confidence. All sorts of people had been showing up in the wrong places and he had been working double time to keep things in order.

At first he had thought he misjudged his stay with Xing Li, so he came to see Ming early, but it did not have an affect of the portals that were opening. He was unsure of his next move though he did believe it wasn't going to be long before he was going to need to request help from some of the "big guns" in the business. It unnerved him to have to request help. He felt he was forever more repeating the same sentences over and over again since most of the superheroes never remember that he exists. Not to mention that most of them had some major trust issues, so they always spent a good deal of time verifying his story instead of helping him get things back in order. No, he was going to buckle down and figure this one out his self.

* * *

"Who's God fersaken idea was this again?" said a burly man behind the silver surface of a grill.

"Ah, mon ami" sighed the taller man. "I wit you, 'dis not be my cup o tea."

A slender woman in a blue working dress steps up to the counter, "Logan, I need a Noah's boy in the Alps on bread, Two bloody cows through the garden then paint them yellow, and a set of frog sticks for both."

Logan's mouth twitched upwards at Ororo's new found talent. It had been her idea to get a job at the dingy diner in the out skirts of Gotham. It was low key and provided them enough cash to get the things they needed. Ororo had a tough time with the lingo in the beginning but she was starting to talk like a pro. He never could really get over hearing her grammatically correct way of giving an order. While Ro was taking to it like a fish in water, the Cajun was faring more like a drenched cat.

"Cher, Remy cook doez tings for you 'n no time." As the red eyed man moved from the soda fountain. She cocked an eyebrow toward him then said, "Ladybug, shake one in the hay and a white cow with hot tops and maiden's heads. Take them to table 5." Then grabbed the two plates from the cook's counter and headed in the other direction.

Remy pouted at the silver pony tail waving at him while Logan laughed out right. Remy sighed and set to work. It wasn't long before he was making his way to the table.

"Dis one must be yours 'cause no femme wit your beauty would order someting plain." Remy purred as he placed the strawberry shake in front of the woman sitting at the table. Her blue eyes met his for a moment before she nodded and mumbled "Thanks."

Remy had noticed that no one else was sitting at the table. "Dis one be for your copain." The raven haired woman gave Remy a quizzical glance. " My co.. what?"

"Je sus desole, cherie. My English is not good. Dis one be for your male friend?" Remy questioned. Her quizzical expression fell and was replaced with the sadness that had first been on her face when he delivered the drinks. "No, I don't think anyone else is coming."

"Ah, den dis be a grand opportunity. No belle should have dessert wit out company. May I join you?" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye with skepticism. He placed his hand on his heart and pledged, "Dis jus' be a friendly chat cherie." She cocked her head then gave a slight nod toward the booth chair across from her. He gave a bow then seated himself.

The late hour allowed the couple to be come very cozy in the corner booth as business was slow. She shared her troubles and he elevated her mood with amusing stories. It was all to soon that their laughter was interrupted by the stout man in the kitchen yelling, "Lazy Cajun! Yer break's been over for 45 minutes!"

Remy narrowed his eyes at Logan. "This ain't no datin' service, Ladybug." Growled Logan. Remy replaced his scowl with a charming smile as he stood up. "De man's a slave driver, no?" The stunning woman smiled brightly at him. "Dere, dis be all dat I need to see for my heart to feel better." He then grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it in a very genteel jester.

She looked up into his red eyes and smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much." He nodded, " De name is Remy and de pleasure was all mine."

The woman stood next to Remy still grasping his hand. "Helena, My name is Helena." She placed a soft kiss on the corner of his lips before walking out of the diner.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­"Have you been able to find anything?" asked a gray haired man on top of a building.

The shadow that followed him shook it's head. A raspy low voice said, "Jim, there is no evidence for me to follow at this point."

"I seem to remember that you have been able to solve cases on less evidence." came the cold, angry reply.

A golden haired woman laid her hand on the older man's shoulder. "Mr.Gordon, no matter the evidence, we won't stop."

"We will find her no matter what it takes." said a man in a dark body suite with a blue emblem.

The Black Canary bristled at Nightwing's approach. "You have no right to be here."

"Don't challenge me Canary." said Nightwing in a menacing growl.

Both parties looked as though they were about to go at each other. The older man suddenly became very angry and bellowed, "STOP!" At a quick pace he soon stood between the two belligerent heroes. His face inches away from the Black Canary's the retired commissioner spat through gritted teeth, "I do not care who you have to work with…" then turned into Nightwing's face and roared, "I do not care who's ass you have to kiss.." with both of them in his vision, "_FIND _MY DAUGHTER!"

After staring at the two for a bit longer the old cop turned and took a few steps toward the roof top access. He paused as his shoulders slumped and a rough hand covered his eyes then dropped to cover his mouth as his fingers curled around his chin. A deep breath filled the man's lungs as his hands opened his trench coat to rest on his hips and he looked at the blanket of stars above.

With quiet steps the gray haired man placed his hand on the knob of the door. In a soft and empty voice he said, "I came to let you know that I have been reinstated as commissioner. These Sabertooth and Camouflage characters have the city's big wigs in an uproar. Who knows what kind of support they might be receiving, and, god only knows who they might be receiving it from." He then turned the knob and walked through the door shedding a dim light on the tar topped roof for a fraction of a second before pulling it shut behind him.


End file.
